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HB156 • 2026

Electronic death reg. system; requiring certain applicants for licensure to complete training.

An Act to direct the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing to require certain applicants for licensure and licensure renewal to indicate whether training has been completed on the Electronic Death Registration System.

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Krizek
Last action
2026-03-31
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on consequences for failing to complete the required training or an effective date for the new requirements.

Training for Death Certificate Signers

This act requires certain medical professionals to indicate if they expect to sign death certificates and, if so, to show that they have completed training on an electronic system.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires doctors of medicine and osteopathic medicine, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants to state whether their scope of practice will include signing death certificates.
  • If these professionals expect to sign death certificates, they must indicate that they have viewed the online tutorial for the Electronic Death Registration System on the Department of Health website.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Doctors of medicine and osteopathic medicine
  • Advanced practice registered nurses
  • Physician assistants

Terms To Know

Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)
An online system used to register deaths electronically.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify when the new requirements will take effect.
  • It is unclear what happens if someone fails to complete the required training.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 42 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0042)

  3. 2026-03-10 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  4. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  5. 2026-02-26 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB156)

  6. 2026-02-25 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Signed by President

  8. 2026-02-25 House

    Enrolled

  9. 2026-02-25 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB156ER)

  10. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Read third time

  11. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  13. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  14. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  15. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  16. 2026-02-19 Education and Health

    Reported from Education and Health (14-Y 0-N)

  17. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  18. 2026-02-10 Education and Health

    Referred to Committee on Education and Health

  19. 2026-02-10 Health and Human Services

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB156)

  20. 2026-02-09 House

    Read third time and passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A)

  21. 2026-02-06 House

    Read second time

  22. 2026-02-06 House

    committee substitute agreed to

  23. 2026-02-06 House

    Engrossed by House - committee substitute

  24. 2026-02-05 House

    Read first time

  25. 2026-02-03 Health and Human Services

    Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (22-Y 0-N)

  26. 2026-02-03 Health and Human Services

    Committee substitute printed 26106252D-H1

  27. 2026-01-29 Health Professions

    Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (9-Y 1-N)

  28. 2026-01-29 Health Professions

    House subcommittee offered

  29. 2026-01-16 Health Professions

    Assigned sub: Health Professions

  30. 2026-01-14 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB156)

  31. 2026-01-13 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB156)

  32. 2026-01-06 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103242D

  33. 2026-01-06 Health and Human Services

    Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

Official Summary Text

Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing; licensure renewal; electronic death registration system; death certificates.
Requires the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to amend their applications for licensure and licensure renewal to require doctors of medicine and osteopathic medicine, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants to indicate if they expect their scope of practice to include signing death certificates and, if so, to indicate that they have completed the online tutorial for the Electronic Death Registration System on the Department of Health website. This bill is identical to SB 194.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to direct the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing to require certain applicants for licensure and licensure renewal to indicate whether training has been completed on the Electronic Death Registration System.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. That the Board of Medicine shall amend its application for licensure and application for licensure renewal for doctors of medicine or osteopathic medicine and physician assistants to require applicants to indicate if there is a reasonable expectation that the scope of practice of the applicant will include the signing of certificates of death and if the answer is in the affirmative, to require the applicant to indicate that the online tutorial on the Electronic Death Registration System webpage on the Department of Health website has been viewed by the applicant.
§ 2. That the Board of Nursing shall amend its application for licensure and application for licensure renewal for advanced practice registered nurses to require applicants to indicate if there is a reasonable expectation that the scope of practice of the applicant will include the signing of certificates of death and if the answer is in the affirmative, to require the applicant to indicate that the online tutorial on the Electronic Death Registration System webpage on the Department of Health website has been viewed by the applicant.
2. That the initial promulgation of regulations to implement the provisions of this act by the Board of Medicine and the Board of Nursing shall be exempt from the requirements of the Administrative Process Act (§
2.2-4000
et seq. of the Code of Virginia).